The Polar Express
by swaggyzebraTW
Summary: Shot 5 of my predicted series of 12. Clary and Jace get woken up in the middle of the night right after a series of nightmares, only to find that the Polar Express is waiting just outside for them. Will they board the magnificent train, or will they stay home until Christmas morning? All couples mentioned, but centered around Clace. Part of my "Twelve Shots of Christmas" thingy.


**AN: Here it is, shot five. Please enjoy, and review if you would like me to continue my Christmas shots. Otherwise, I'll just stop, as the support has been steadily declining as of late. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Mortal Instruments, all rights go to Cassie Clare and her people. **

I watched as the credits slowly scrolled along the screen, marking the end of the movie. Jace stirred from his spot behind me, and I realized that he was waking up after he had fallen asleep halfway through the movie. Glancing around, I saw that Izzy and Magnus were also awake, although at some point through the film Simon and Alec had fallen asleep.

"Ready for bed?" Jace asked huskily, his voice coated with sleepiness.

I nodded. "Was the movie that bad?"

Jace gave an apologetic smile. "Yes, Clary. Believe it or not, low budget mundane Christmas films from the sixties are almost never good. I'm surprised you, Izzy, and Mags could suffer through the whole thing."

I rolled my eyes, jumping off the couch, only to trip over Alec's feet and land face-first onto the hardwood floor. "Ouch." I said, flipping myself to my back.

Alec opened his eyes, groaning. "What did I miss?"

Magnus chuckled a little. "The whole thing, Alexander. Are you still tired?"

He nodded, before noticing me on the floor. "Clary? Are you okay?"

I sat up. "Yeah. Just tired, and clumsy as usual."

Jace picked me up in his arms, hauling me off the floor. "Good night, happy Christmas Eve!" He said, before walking out into the hall.

I heard a few more "good nights" and "Merry Christmas'" before we reached the door to his bedroom. I was carried inside, and Jace set me down on the bed before crawling onto it himself. "I am so tired." He stated, laying down and wrapping his arms around my waist.

"Me too. Merry Christmas, Jace." I said, resting my head on his chest.

It wasn't long before we were both asleep, tangled lazily together, limb by limb. I was dreaming, as Jace was I assumed, about what tomorrow morning would bring. It would be Christmas, and although I no longer believe in all of the "Christmas magic" such as Santa and his elves, I still found the day to be beautifully festive, and this year would be my first with the Lightwoods.

Usually, I would spend the day with my mother Jocelyn, and possibly her best friend Luke, who was practically a father to me. But, all of those years, I hadn't known of my true father, my real identity, or even my mother's. I had been blissfully ignorant, unseeing of all the wonders in the world. It had been only in the past few months that I had learned about the true world of which we live in, full of shadows. I had met Jace, who was now my boyfriend of a month. I had finally unmasked the world, finally managed to see it for its true colors. Demons and down-worlders around every corner, shadow hunters in their shadows, saving the mundane world from harm.

Being so busy in the past months, I hadn't been able to take the time to slow down and enjoy simple luxuries, such as celebrating Christmas. Halloween had been skipped, as we had taken advantage of the date to destroy a record amount of demons at Pandemonium. Jace had been the only one that helped me celebrate my own birthday, and even that had been cut short by tedious issues in need of resolving.

My hours of sleep had seemed numbered recently, and I had been lucky to grab three or four hours each night. With the bringing back of Valentine, and my demonic brother Jonathan, along with Lilith, all shadow-hunters had been needed as much as possible to help track them down. An army of demons had been summoned, and it had taken us weeks to kill them all off. We had just gotten back to New York two days ago, with bags under our eyes, and swollen veins. All of us had been in need of sleep, and this break for Christmas was a great way to get it.

I was dreaming of Max, Izzy and Alec's little brother who had been murdered recently by my own brother, when an oddly realistic sound of a train came into my head. IT sounded as though a train was passing right outside, and dream-Max began to speak to me in my head.

"Do you hear the bells, Clary?" He asked.

"No," I said. "But I hear the train."

"The bells are on the train." The boy stated eerily. "Only those who believe can hear them."

"Only those who believe in what?" I asked him, curious.

"The train comes for those who do not believe. If you cannot hear the bells, the train will come for you." Max said, looking off into space.

"What don't the people believe in, Max?" I asked, more frantic. Never had a dream sounded so real.

"The train will come for those who do not believe." He said again, stating it multiple times like a mantra. It was becoming creepy.

"What don't I believe in, Max? Please tell me why I can't hear the bells!"

He shook his head. "Do you believe in Santa, Clary?"

I was confused. Surely, I wasn't dreaming about my not believing in Santa. "Of course not, Max. Didn't Izzy tell you he wasn't real?"

Max nodded. "But Izzy was wrong, I always knew she was. Izzy can't hear the bells either."

My vision of Max began to shake, signaling that he was about to leave; that I was about to wake up. "No!" I cried. "Max, don't leave me!" I begged.

The boy shook his head, stepping back. "Well, I can't take you with me. You're not ready to die, Clary. Jace needs you. Without you, there is nothing else holding him to the earth. I have to go now."

"What about the train?" I asked him desperately. "Don't you want to see it?"

"I already have." He stated. "Bye, Clary. I'll try to visit you in your sleep again soon."

I watched in agony as the little boy I had grown to love, began to see as a little boy, disappeared into the darkness of the distance. My subconscious form began to sob as it was left alone in the dark, only hearing the noise of a train approaching.

~Line Break~

I was snapped out of my sleepy musings as Jace shook my shoulders. "Clary, wake up. It was only a dream."

I wrapped my arms around him, breathing in his scent as I rested my head in the crook of his shoulder, sobbing. "I saw Max, Jace. He was talking to me, asking if I could hear the bells, but I couldn't."

"What bells, Clary?" He asked, running his hands through my hair soothingly.

"There was a train coming, and Max asked if I could hear the bells on it, and I said that I couldn't."

Suddenly, I heard a train whistle in the distance, which I suppose could have been one of the many locomotives in New York, but it sounded sweeter, more magical, and it seemed to be coming closer. Within seconds, I could hear the actual sounds of the train chugging, and the whistle was loud enough to be on the same road as the Institute. "Do you hear that?" I asked Jace.

He nodded. "That train sounds like it's going down this road…"

Before Jace could finish his sentence, lights flashed along the windows, casting shadows throughout the room. Looking out the window, I spotted a large black train, engulfed in smoke and steam, coming to a halt right outside of the Institute. Its breaks were squeaking loudly, and I wondered why on one else in the Institute could hear them except me an Jace.

"What should we do?" I asked as the whistle sounded three times in a row.

He reached around me, grabbing a seraph blade beside the bed. "We go outside, and see what the hell is going on our there."

"How could a train go down the street, with no train tracks?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, maybe it's one of those demons that can take the form of whatever it is you fear most."

I shook my head. "We both know that's not the case. Neither of us have a real fear of trains, and we both wouldn't be seeing the same thing."

"I know." He whispered, grabbing my hand. "But I honestly have no idea what it is, and I find it more reassign to think that I know what it is, and how I can destroy it."

"Should we get back up?" I asked as we reached the front door.

"Nah." Jace said. "It's Christmas Eve, none of them woke up apparently, and they're all tired. Besides, we might be imagining things. After all, you did just have a creepy dream about trains."

"I guess." I agreed, walking behind him out into the snow, right towards the train.

I spotted a man in a blue suit waving a lantern on the side of one of the train cars. "All aboard!" He called into the night.

Jace's hand tightened on my own, and I saw his rotate the blade in his other. "Who is it?" He called back to the man, now waving his lantern frantically.

"The conductor of the Polar Express, of course." He said, pointing to the gold lettering on the side of the train that also stated, "THE POLAR EXPRESS".

Jace laughed nervously. "Is this some kind of joke? The Polar Express isn't real."

The man looked at us skeptically. "Does it look as though it is fictitious? What other train can travel down any random road it feels fit? What other train can make a whistle so sweet, and only allow it to be heard by those who have a ticket?"

"But we don't have tickets," I interjected.

"We seldom make errors involving who is to board." The man stated. "Check your pockets."

I reached into my pocket suspiciously, eager to prove the train conductor wrong, only to have my fingers wrap around a long, thin piece of foily paper. Pulling it out, I saw that it was indeed a train ticket, complete with a sketch of the Polar Express printed on it. Flipping to the other side, I saw "The Polar Express" written in cursive lettering, along with a picture of a few silver bells, just like the bells Max had told me about in my dream.

Looking to Jace, I saw that he too had pulled a ticket out of his pocket. "How did this get in there?" He asked aloud.

The man seemed impatient, and glanced hurriedly at the pocket-watch at his breast. "Oh my, look at the time! We're going to be late. Are you coming?"

"Going where?" I asked, genuinely curious, and wondering if I was dreaming.

He rolled his eyes. "The North Pole, of course! Are you two daft?"

Jace looked like he was about to protest that comment, but I reached for the conductors hand, concluding that I was in fact dreaming, and that I might as well enjoy it. "I would love to come with you."

Jace followed me into the car. "Clary, are you stupid? I know your mother wasn't the best parent, but didn't she teach you to stay away from strangers, and _not_ hop on their trains?"

I rolled my eyes. "Jace, when was the last time we got to have a little fun? We're always busy, saving the world, but we never have enough time to do something for ourselves. Besides, I bet we can protect ourselves from a few children and a train conductor. Now, come on."

I walked through a set of double doors, into a passenger car. Looking into the room, I could see a few more children and teens were also aboard, most of them chatting quietly and staring out the windows.

The conductor motioned to a seat with a hand. "Please take your seat."

I sat down, feeling the seat dip down some more when Jace joined me. "Thank-you."

"Tickets, please." The man asked, holding out an expectant hand.

I reached into my pocket, handing it to him. I watched in awe as he pulled out a hole-puncher, and began to punch speedily at the card. With the amount of holes he was punching, in such little time, I thought that he would simply be destroying the ticket.

He handed the golden pass back to me momentarily, and looking at it, I saw that he had punched in two letters- a D and an R. Looking back to the man quizzically, I saw that he was no longer paying attention to me, instead he was looking to Jace, wordlessly demanding to see his ticket.

Jace handed it to him, boredom crossing along his features. The conductor began to punch madly at his ticket as well, before handing it back to him. I looked over Jace's shoulder to see what it read, only to see another two letters, though they were different than mine. On his ticket was an I and an M.

"What do these mean?" I asked the man, only to see that he had disappeared from the train car.

I looked to Jace. "Do you know what these letters stand for?"

He shook his head. "No, though I can't say that I'm not curious. I'm not sure I'm a huge fan of us being on this train, though."

The train lurched forward, slowly gaining speed as it raced along our road toward the outskirts of New York. "Where do you think it's taking us?" I asked Jace, looking out the window.

He shrugged. "You're the master of mundane fairy-tales, where does the Polar Express usually take people?"

I though about that, quickly remembering the entire tale of the train. "It usually takes people to the North Pole, to meet Santa, but he isn't real."

"We didn't think this train was real either, did we?" He stated, also looking out the window.

I pointed at the scenery. "We're already in the suburbs. Within minutes we'll be out of New York entirely."

He nodded just as the train began to slow down, coming to a complete stop in front of a seemingly normal house. The conductor walked down the aisle, disappearing out the doors. A boy walked out of the house in a robe, his hair a tousled mess from sleep.

"All aboard!" The conductor called to him, just as he had with me and Jace.

The boy looked confused, though he pulled out a golden ticket from his pocket, before following the conductor onto the train. He came into the passenger car, walking right past Jace and I, only to settle in the seat ahead of us. Again, the conductor took the train pass from the child's hands, and began to punch at it with his pocket-sized hole-puncher.

He returned it to the boy, leaving before the child could ask any questions. Jace read the letters on the boy's ticket. "B and E. Whatever that means."

The boy looked behind at us. "Aren't you two a little old to be on The Polar Express?"

I grinned. "I guess you could say that, but we're on it anyway."

"Much to everyone's displeasure, especially our own." Jace interjected quietly.

The boy turned around again, but not before asking one last question. "Are you two dating?"

I blushed, giving Jace a quick peck on the lips that made the boy scowl with disgust. "Yeah."

He pretended to gag, but otherwise left us alone as the train gained speed again. I watched as we sped away from civilization, entering a darkened forest of wood which was coated in a light film of white. Wolves howled in the distance, and the train appeared to be swallowed entirely in a long sting of smoke and steam. It seemed chilly outside, and I was glad that the interior of the train was warm and welcoming.

A few men came into the cabin, pushing large carts of hot chocolate whilst they hummed to themselves. A mustached boy stopped at Jace and I, offering two steaming mugs.

"No thanks," Jace declined, probably still unhappy about us being here, and he tended not to trust food from people he classified as strangers.

"Are you sure? It's the best around. What about you miss?" The boy asked, holding a cup towards me.

I nodded graciously, a little thirsty. "Yes, please. Thank you."

I took the mug in my hands, blowing over the top of it to help the liquid cool. Jace's hand tightened on my thigh, signally his discomfort, but I ignored him other than giving him a reassuring smile. Taking a sip from the mug I noticed that the boy was correct; the hot chocolate on this train was absolutely wonderful.

Jace was still silent, much to my agitation. "Come on, Jace. Lighten up. Enjoy the ride, at least."

He forced a smile. "There's so many things wrong with us being on this train…"

I nodded. "But, there's also a lot of things that are right."

"Like?" Jace said, clearly skeptical.

"I'm here with you, as cliché as that sounds." I stated, snuggling into his side for added effect.

He chuckled. "That is cheesy, but I get your point. You being here makes this much more tolerable."

"I'm also fulfilling a childhood dream of mine." I whispered, almost hopeful that he wouldn't hear.

His eyes widened, clearly hearing what I just said. "You _dreamed_ of being on this train?"

I nodded slowly. "Of course. Every mundie child does."

"Wow, I knew mundanes were odd and quite daft in general, but that just reaches new levels of foolishness. What kind of parent would practically tell their children that it's okay to hop on a random train with a bunch of strangers?" Jace said, pulling me into his lap.

I sighed. Jace would probably never understand a human's reasoning for believing in the impossible. "Did you hear that song, from the movie 'The Polar Express'? The one called, Believe?"

He nodded. "Yeah… What does that have to do with anything?"

"Jace, sometimes we find hope in believing in something that deep down we know can't be true. It can give us a false sense of security; a feeling of happiness and homeliness. It can deliver a youthful feeling to even the oldest of people, along with the youngest." I said while looking meaningfully into his deep golden eyes.

He nodded, a slight look of comprehension passing over his features. "I guess that makes some sense, but I can't say that I would ever believe any of that lavish hogwash."

I rolled my eyes. "We're on a magical train ride to the north pole right now, and you're just sitting there; refusing to believe a single thing that could have come from a mundie fairy-tale."

Jace shrugged. "That could be true, I suppose, though I wouldn't ever admit it."

Another eye roll, and I brought my lips to his. I could hear the boy in front of us pretending to vomit and gag, while a few girls across the aisle giggled and whispered amongst themselves. I began to smile into the kiss, though Jace didn't pull away.

"Is there some mistletoe hanging above them that I can't see?" A boy mumbled. "Because if so, there must be a huge pile of it for them to kiss this much."

"Eww, they're like my parents whenever we go on vacation." Another boy said, his voice higher than the last's.

A girl joined in on the conversation, and I didn't need to see her to tell that she was blushing profusely. "I think it's a little cute."

I pulled away, hiding my head in Jace's chest. "askjebfs." I mumbled into his shirt.

He chuckled, pulling my face away with his hands. "What did you say? I couldn't hear you with your face down my shirt."

I blushed. "I said, maybe we should keep it PG around the kids."

He paused as though contemplating it, before bringing his lips to mine once more in a searingly passionate kiss. "Hmmm, as tempting as that sounds, I think I'll pass."

I grinned. "I think I like that idea better, now that you mention it."

"I thought you would."

**AN: Yeah, I know. I don't like it either. Terrible ending, but it was getting too long, and I'm getting really off track with the whole "Twelve shots of Christmas" thing. These were not what I was meaning to do…. Anyway, review please, or else I really won't continue. I kinda want to drop it right now as it is…**

**PS. Please, please, please, read my Hunger Games/TMI crossover: "Whispering Silhouettes", along with my fic "Broken Arrows." neither have amny views as of right now, so thanks.**


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